Hey guys, just got to Anor Londo for the first time! After months of not playing it seems i'm hooked again! I'm hoping there's a bonfire closer to the part with the two archers who knock you off straight away, as it's taking me ages each time to get there from the bonfire with the Fire Keeper

Once you know how to take on the Archers, they're really easy. Just get to the one on the right as quick as possible, roll through any arrows he fires at you, and then parry him when he gets his sword out and OHKO him reposte. Then go kill the other one because he used to piss me off

I stopped failing it when I realised you get pushed back in the opposite direction to what you're facing, rather than the direction the arrow hits you. Block with the Havel Shield, smush with the Dragon Tooth.

Done Anor Londo! Killed O&S (with two others, first time) and I kinda wish i'd tried it by myself as i don't feel i deserved the victory Just entered the Painting World, I'm now obsessed with the game..

@WaitingJohn - Well done with O&S. There's no shame in summoning help!!! Along with the 4 Kings and The Bed of Chaos (for uber-cheese reasons - you'll see), they rank as some of the hardest bosses I've come across in a game.
Have fun in the painted world, make sure you don't miss any of the loot as some of it is kinda vital to the MP element of the game.
Havne't been on Dark Souls in a while now, the MP was beginning to stagnate a little with all the hackers floating about. Has it changed in the last 2 months or is it still a hotbed of Jtags?

Had a long break from gaming but just picked up an xbox for some Tomb Raider frolics and snared a copy of the prepare to die edition of this for the paltry sum of £7.99! Right, I know full well this game is as hard as nails and will no doubt chew me up and spit me back out but I'm going to give it a go if nothing else. Anyway, I'm sure it's been asked a 1000 times before but I'm going to ask again can somebody point me in the direction of the best class to start with being a total newcomer (never played Demon Souls) have heard conflicting stuff and would like some decent advice. Cheers.

First playthrough, either Pyromancer or Knight. Don't ignore vitality and endurance. Level up weapons/armour as well as character. Explore everywhere. If it's too hard, try a different route. Keep your shield up (but put it down when you can as stamina recovers quicker). Equip burden will effect your ability to dodge roll... aaaand go

Yeah, the heal miracle is incredibly useful for the first 50% of the game especially as bonfire kindling is a bit of a mystery early on and health can be hard to maintain, especially before learning when and when not to block. Although it does kind of mean you go down the faith class, which isn't necessarily the best option. Although faith mixed with melee is pretty decent.

I'd say if you take nothing else from the advice on offer then focus on endurance. It dictates stamina and equipment load which are both absolutely key as stamina dictates how much you can block and equipment load dictates how fast you move, as well as how much and what type of armour you can wear. Stamina is probably more important than vitality really as your task is to not get hit

I'd say for every other level you want to be putting one into endurance with the odd vitality here and there, at least the first twenty levels or so, then you can go more towards your chosen type of characters' stats. A lot of it is to do with the weapons, shield and armour you want.

Oh and if something looks properly bad ass then it probably is and so treat them with respect

-Block (you can block more than you imagine, keep an eye on the green bar, allow for your stamina to regenerate)

-Attack (do not get too greedy when attacking, allow for your stamina to regenerate.)

-Evade (if you run out of stamina during blocking/attacking, or you are stunned by an attack, use the roll to evade the next attack, you may not have enough stamina to block the next enemy attack.)

-Strength/Dex (in this game, its best to choose one or the other, if you are thinking of using magic/faith/pyro and fast light weapons and simple shields, level up Dexterity. If you want to have massive powerful weapons and weild huge shields that barely dent your stamina, go for strength.)

-Explore (you can find special weapons,magic,items and even materials for upgrading your equipment.Exploring is key and you'll enjoy the experience more. Also you can find different or secret areas.)